


Marks

by Gage



Series: Traditions Out the Window [1]
Category: teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: Blood and Injury, Body Horror, Gen, Pack Rituals, The Hale Pack - Freeform, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 00:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14705277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gage/pseuds/Gage
Summary: Laura does as her mother says, taking in a slow deep breath, she closes her eyes. Stretching her senses out she focuses on the heartbeat that she’s heard all her life. That easy rhythm that always soothes her own nerves. It’s...





	Marks

**November 1, 2001**.

 

The day the twins get their marks there is both an unexpected blessing and fear.

 

The Hale house was full of extended family, the scent of pack and safety filled the air. Laura Hale was meant to go through her marking ceremony under the New Moon, the night of her and Derek’s 13th birthday. Everyone could feel the excitement in the air, nerves were normal. She couldn’t wait to see marks of her future...

 

“You’re nervous.”

 

Derek always has her back and tonight this was no different. They shared more than just blood, their bond from the start had been strong, right down to their similar heartbeats. Tonight would change things but the one thing that wouldn’t was him. Derek would be where he always was, standing by her side when her marks come in. Her twin brother was going to be her future second.

 

“Well... I am about to be burnt in a ritual by the souls of our ancestors.”

 

“That is not true...”

 

Laura’s smile is all teeth as she lunges at him, throwing her arms around him hugging him tightly. He’s wearing that dumb faded Limp Bizkit shirt Uncle Manny gave him back in August. Laughing as she ruffles his hair, Laura can feel her nerves calm a little. “Aren’t you excited though? To see... our pack?”

 

“I don’t care

 

“Liar.”

 

Laura drags Derek towards the bay window in her room, the stars are shining a little less in the light of the moon. The backyard was full of their pack, family, waiting to witness their next Alpha receive her marks. This was their future, hers and Derek’s.

 

“Where's my gruesome twosome?”

 

Uncle Peter. Ugh. That name. Laura detested that name and where it came from, the twins had been two years old when they shifted for the first time and had gotten into the food pantry. Their mom hadn’t discovered them for over an hour, and by then the two toddlers were covered in god knows what. Blue wolf eyes shining through whatever muck they were slathered in.

 

“We.”

 

“Hate.”

 

“That.”

 

“Name.”

 

The two of them turned as one towards their Uncle who was standing by the open door, even as young wolves they were eerily in synch. They enjoyed how others had been uncomfortable with it, really strangers. The family had gotten used to their 'odd' behavior.

 

“But it's so charming.”

 

“Liar.” Laura shook her head, she reached out grasping on to Derek’s left hand. “Ready?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Come on D, we’ve got a pack to see.”

 

*

 

When each Alpha from the Hale blood line turns 13, the marks of their future pack mates slowly emerge on their skin. It's a painful burn that lasts a few minutes for each mark. Immediate Family takes note of the marks. Once shown they dull to a barely their mark, almost like an invisible tattoo, only flaring up as those pack mates appear in their lives. It ends when the Hale crest appears briefly before fading as well.

 

Derek’s spoke of the ritual often enough that she didn’t need to read up on it. That was her brother, where Laura was out mingling amongst her peers, Derek was always in a library. She says a, because if he was in the vicinity of one, that was where Derek would be found.

 

Which is why what happened under the moon took them all by surprise.

 

*

 

Laura and Derek were lead through the spacious yard, out to where a single quilt laid out under the moonlight. Her heart seemed to want to beat right out of her chest. A squeeze of her hand, lets her know that Derek is still there by her side like always. Taking a deep breath she brings her free hand up, index finger curling, Derek mirrors her before connecting his left index finger with her Right. “You’ve got this.”

 

Laura is laid out underneath. Derek kneels by her side reaching out with his right index finger, she curls her left one around his.The light of the full moon hits her just as the first cut makes itself known, her mother parts the front of her sweater. As her skin starts to split, it feels like a sharp burn, worse than when she fell out of the tree house when she was a kid. Laura can feel more cuts happening, the marks are taking shape. Heart her heart is racing, skin flushing hot... all her instincts are trying to make her muscles tense up. To run and keep running. Derek and Uncle Peter had mentioned something like this would happen that she... had to hold on and remember why this was happening...

 

_“That’s so stupid,” Five-year-old Laura grabs the book and throws it across the room. Derek’s eyes are wide and round, he looks horrified and for a second she thought she had hurt him by accident. She starts laughing when he scurries across the room and holds the book close to him. “I didn’t hurt it, dummy,”_

 

_Derek shakes his head and gently places the book on a nearby table. “It’s not my fault you’re scared!”_

 

_“AM NOT!”_

 

_“ARE TOO!”_

 

_The two lunge at one another but before they could do any damage someone had picked them both up, mid-air. “If it isn’t the gruesome twosome.”_

 

_“WE HATE THAT NAME.”_

 

_15-year-old Peter puts them down, using his own strength he pushes them both back when they try to attack him. “What are you two pups fighting about anyway?”_

 

_They stop flailing about and give one another a look, before turning to their Uncle, the shine in their eyes fading._

 

_“Fine, be that way... I do not want to be apart of whatever it is you two are destined to fail at.” He shrugs and starts to walk away from them._

 

_“Laura’s scared... AH!”_

 

_Peter spins around and grabs Laura up by the straps of her overalls, effectively cutting her off from beating up her brother. “And what are we afraid of?”_

 

_“I am NOT scared.”_

 

_“Are too... she don’t... she don’t wanna go feral when she... she goes Alpha!” Derek had gotten himself worked up again._

 

_Peter is so taken back from this that he nearly drops his niece. “I think you need to explain yourself...”_

 

_Derek goes and gets the book that Laura had thrown. “It says here.” He lays the book in front of his sister and Uncle. Turning the pages gently with both hands. “See... when marks show, it hurts, so you get scared and grrrrr, then you wanna run but you not appose too.”_

 

_“Ah... the intended Alpha ceremonial markings... well a wolf’s instincts do tend to become irrational, adrenaline, fear, your body when it’s in pain will want you to flee to a safer space. That much is true.”_

 

_“I don’t wanna.”_

 

_Peter places an arm around Laura’s shoulder and pulls her onto his lap. “It’s okay to be afraid, you don’t need to be, not right now at least. This isn’t going to happen for a long time.”_

 

_“What ‘bout when our birthday comes, then what?”_

 

_Peter pulls Derek closer with his free arm, “You’re the gruesome twosome, you can handle anything... as long as you’re together.”_

 

_Derek reaches out with his right index finger, and Laura curls her left index finger around his. They look a little better than before, that sour smell of fear has dissipated, and they’re calmer. Peter reaches out and starts to turn the pages of the open book till he reaches a specific one, its titled anchors._

 

_“Mama taught us about anchors.”_

 

_Peter smiles down at his niece, “Well... I’m gonna tell you about your special ones.”_

 

_“How special?” Derek, always eager to learn._

 

 

Laura smiles all teeth as the pain begins to dim, there is very little blood to be cleaned away. Her Mother is smiling down at her and Aunt Olivia looks to be finished with the etches in the books. Her stomach feels hot and cold all over, kind of like someone had tried to jab ice into her heated skin. Mama is helping her sit up when she starts to feel off. Somethings wrong... its almost as if it's not over yet. Looking at her side where Derek had been she frowns. Something inside of her feels like it's tugging at her belly.

 

“Derek?”

 

It’s the tone of her voice that makes everyone freeze. Her brother is doubled over grunting like he’s in pain, the air is filled with a sort of sharp sour scent. Derek’s scared. She doesn’t understand what is happening until she reaches over to grab him by his shoulder... she’s thrown halfway across the yard.

 

Before she blacks out she can hear her mother and father shouting.

 

DEREK.

*

 

 

 

When Laura comes to, she is horrified to hear the painful screams and high pitched howls of her brother. Aunt Olivia is helping her sit up, she doesn’t understand and no one is answering her as she’s being herded towards the house where the rest of the family are waiting. Mama yanks Derek’s shirt upwards, there’s blood, so much more than Laura herself had shed and that is when it hits her. “Oh my god.”

 

Laura watches as Derek almost throws their mother off of him, Daddy is holding his shoulders down and Uncle Peter is trying to hold his legs, even Uncle Magnus and Uncle Alec are struggling. How in the world is this happening?

 

Shrugging off her aunt Olivia’s worry, Laura runs towards her brother, he’s in pain it's shifting and spreading everywhere. Sliding down into the empty space by his side she grabs onto his left arm. Her parents have stripped him of his shirt and jacket. There were marks cutting up his belly, and ribs they were forming all sorts of shapes. One was dangerously close to his heart forming a darker shade, with some weird aura around it.

 

It feels like forever and no one is saying anything but trying to hold Derek down on the ground. When the screams finally die down, Laura got a good look at Derek’s true eyes. She knew everyone could see the blue shine but it seemed to be covered in a film of red. For a moment everyone was frozen in place.

 

Derek was an Alpha.

 

Laura looked up at her mother, eyes wide with shock, Uncle Magnus had back away and reached for the book that Aunt Olivia had dropped in her haste to help her earlier. Mother was shaking her head, so she didn’t know about this either. Laura looks down at her brother as his eyes rolled up and he... NO. Laura lunged with her arms out in front of her. Someone grabbed her hand before she could feel a heartbeat. Her fangs emerged as she whirled around onto her Aunt Olivia.

 

“You can’t touch his marks hon, not yet.”

 

Aunt Olivia places a bucket filled with water down by her side, “You can help him but we have to clean him up, and take note.” She lets go of Laura's arm and held out a wet towel. She stares at it for a few seconds not really seeing it,

 

“Laura I can...”

 

“I can do it.” Taking the wet towel she looks down at Derek. Her mother reaches out, tipping her chin upwards with her bloody fingers. “Mama...”

 

“Baby he’s gonna be just fine, take a deep breath, and listen.”

 

Laura does as her mother says, taking in a slow deep breath, she closes her eyes. Stretching her senses out she focuses on the heartbeat that she’s heard all her life. That easy rhythm that always soothes her own nerves. It’s... its there, beating fiercely slightly off but its’ there. She can feel her own face flush hot, the sting of tears behind her eyes.

 

She didn’t lose him.

 

*

**Author's Note:**

> This was intended to be a one-off, that was a product of several posts on thisdiscontentedwinter tumblr. Thanks to JaneyPro for keeping me sane and helping me figure things out. I tried to keep it simple, but like most of my writing nothing is ever simple. So now this is apart of another series.


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